The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-14
LIGHTS IN THE DARK.
Some Strange Scenes in the New Home
For the Bind.

J
! founded at No. 2l9 West Fourteenth street,
and duly incorporated in April, 1859. Since
then there has been no lack Of workers in
the noble cause, and, as consequence, IN
June last handsome new home was opened
at Tenth avenue and One Hundred and
| Fourth street
The new home, which cost $4,000, is q
| superstructure of common brick relieved
with terra Gotta set upon rather high base
ment of rough-faced blue stone and crowned
with roof in black slate
1t provides for its beneiiciaries large,
cheerful sleeping rooms the men and women
on opposite sides of the house, sitting rooms
and comfortable work rooms. Under the
same roof is a chapel, in which service is
held every Sunday afternoon; also an IN
Urinary, where the sick can be properly
cared for.
Through the courtesy of the President of
the society, Mr.. Charles Leland reporter
was recently permitted to go over the lnstl-
tuition and to chat freely with the inmates,
Of whom there are now but forty, although
there are accommodations for 100 Mr. LIE
land explained that the vacant rooms would
| be gradually occupied, but that 1t would be
necessary for the friends OF the blind TO come
| forward with their usual lberality to help
pay the expenses, for the home Is supported
entirely by voluntary contributions
THE WORKSHOPS.
After making tour Of the dormitories,
infirmary and chapel, the reporter visited
| the mems workshops, which are pleasantly
situated on the first floor above the street.
! They consist of three large rooms, fitted up
with every convenience requisite for the va
| riOus trades that the blind men are able to
! work at. The extreme room has large BINS,
capable of holding several bales OF hair and
moss, and tables for making mattresses, the
! ticks and binding of which are neatly done
/ by the blind women, who have their work
room on the south side OF the house. The
! hair used for the mattresses is all carefully
picked over by hand by those men who are
too feeble or too old to learn a trade. This
is done in a room used only for that purpose,
to the left of the mattress room.
The centre room has tables for recaning
| chairs, with the necessary clamps for hold
| ing them steady; closets fer the cane, which,
with the hair, moss and tampico, is slowed
! in large quantities. For brush making there
are benches, tools and machinery suitable
] for the purpose. This branch Of industry
was taught some of the inmates by crippled
boys connected with the NewsboyS Lodging
House, who have a shop at No. 3l4 East
Thirty fifth street.
A CARPENTER AND MINER.
Passing into the centre room, where a
number of chair members We're silently
working, John D. Mills, being the only man
resting, was spoken to by the reporter and
| gave the following outline of his attiictlOn:
He said that he was born in Newark, n. j..
and when quite a boy commenced to work
at the carpentering trade. In 1871 he was
stricken with smallpox, which left him
| blind for a short time. but he subsequently,
| could see tOlerably well. However, he was
at times much troubled with his right eye,
which eventually he had removed by a
celebrated Oculst He then went to work
III a coal mine, and continued this labor I'M
til one day in 1884 he was the victim of a
painful accident He was driving a nail
into hard piece of wood, when the nail
broke, and a part of it rebounding struck
him in the left eye, breaking the lens This
! caused a cataract and rendered him tempo
rarily blind. An operation was satisfacto-
rily performed in this city, but after the
lapse of a short period inflammation set in,
and it was found necessary to remove the
eve entirely. Mills has been at the home
for two years. He said that he would rather
have lost an arm and a leg than the sight of
one eye.
A GLASS BLOWER AND BOTHER.
Patrick Mcnamara is one of the most OK
pert brush makers in the Home He is a
single man and was born in Cork, ireland,
about thiTty-two years ago. He came to
this country with his parents when years
old, and the first work he did was in a glass
blowers shop He continued as a glass
blower until the year 1915, when he went to
work for a ginger ale merchant doing buSi-
ness at Nos. 403 and 404 East Twenty fifth
street. His duties We're to bottle the ginger
ale and cork the bottles. One afternoon,
eight years ago, bottle that had been filed
and which was lying on bench near where
he was working exploded, and a piece of the
glass bottle rested in his left eye, where it was
embedded for eleven months He spent two
weeks in Bellevue Hospital, after which he
was treated as an outside patient for a short
| time. The eve commenced to heal and he
went to his old master, who put him to work
at driving one OF his mineral water wagons.
Meantime Mcnamara was suffering the most
! intense agony, and IL was not long before
he had again to apply for treatment at the
intirmary. The physicians at the intirnaTy
advised him TO undergo the operation of
having his eye removed, but some acquain-
ance prevailed upon him not to do so. At
the expiration of eleven months the piece of
glass showed itself above the pupil OF the
eye, and was promptly removed by one of
the staff at the Ophthaimic Hospital A
short time previous 10 this operation the UNI
fortunate Mcnamara lost his other eve,
which the doctors said was the result of the
sympathetic action of the nerves.
BOTTLE CORKING WHEN BLIND.
Being thus reduced to total blindness Nc
Namara found it difficult to get any sort of
work, but at length his former master, APP
preciatng his previous services as a bother,
again employed him as a bottle corter.
| Mcnamara had become so accustomed to
corlling from previous experience that he
found the work comparatively easy. He
said that he could perform the work Just as
well MS he did when he had his eyesight 81
worked, - said Mcnamara, ''ten hours a day,
and | received only 81 week and my
board Before losing my sight my salary
for doing precisely the same work was SIS a
week. I'm reconciled TO my misfortune, but
fortunately only few people can realize what
it is TO have seen the light of day and then
to live in continual darkness
AN OLD HOTEL CLERK.
Charles A. Plummer, who is totally blind.
is widower He is tall, refined looking
man, and wears a long, well trimmed gray
beard and whisllers Mr. Plummer was
born in Maine in the year 1929, and when a
young man went 10 California, after which
he came TO this city and obtained employ
mcnt as hotel clerk and remained in the
same position for great number Of years
in fact, until he had 10 retire in consequence
Of his failing sight.
Mr.. Plummer pays for his board at the
home, and consequently is not asked 10 do
any work. The Herald reporter found him
enscOnced in corner of the zinc Literally
clspadOred floor of the smoking Dom, where
he was taking the life out Of the contents Of